Iron Man

YNTJul 12, 2011

In the history of Development Academy Finals Weeks, there is only one player who has accomplished the impressive feat of playing in all four events. That record-setting player is CASL Chelsea FC Academy’s Eric Steber, who has more Finals Week caps than any other player in Academy history. The Kristine Lilly of Finals Week, Steber has benefitted from a successful club that has sent both Academy teams to Finals Week three out of four years. We caught up with the CASL captain after his team’s exciting 2-2 draw with FC Dallas to talk about his experience through the years.

ussoccer.com: Talk about your range of experiences at past Finals Week events.Steber: “It’s been great. It’s a unique opportunity to play in a national championship and to do so in this format is exciting. In the past we’ve been in downtown Los Angeles and now we’re in Milwaukee. It’s exciting and fun, and I’ve learned a lot.”

ussoccer.com: What have you learned from your experiences at past events?ES: “Well, our first Finals Week was a huge wake-up call. We had taken an early lead in our first game but ended up losing pretty badly. Since then, I think our team overall has gotten more used to playing in this type of tournament and knowing that we really have to raise our game to a different level if we want to be successful.”

ussoccer.com: What do you tell your teammates about Finals Week if they haven’t been here before?ES: “I tell them about how good the other teams are and how much we have to raise our game to be successful. I think that four years ago in this game against FC Dallas, giving up an 80th minute goal might have ended differently. I think being here a few times has really helped all of us.”